Simon Trpcheski

Simon Trpcheski, born September 18, 1979, in Skopje, is a Macedonian classical pianist. Trpcheski graduated at the School of Music at the University of St. Cyril and St. Methodius in Skopje, where he studied with Professor Boris Romanov.  The youngest of three children, a father judge and mother pharmacist, Trpcheski has made Skopje his permanent home where he lives with wife and daughter.
Simon Trpcheski has won prizes before finishing University in 2002. His first award was the first place at the World piano contest “Yamaha Music Foundation of Europe” in Skopje – December 1998, followed by a second place at “Millennium World Piano Competition London” – April 2000. He has been awarded in international piano competitions in the United Kingdom, Italy and the Czech Republic. From 2001 to 2003, he was a member of the BBC New Generation Scheme, and in May 2003, he was honored with the Young Artist Award by the Royal Philharmonic Society.

In December 2009, the President of Macedonia H.E. Gjorge Ivanov honored him with the Presidential Order of Merit for Macedonia, a decoration given to foreign and domestic dignitaries responsible for the affirmation of Macedonia abroad.  In September 2011, Trpcheski was awarded the first-ever title “National Artist of the Republic of Macedonia”.
The Macedonian pianist has established himself as one of the most remarkable musicians to have emerged in recent years, performing with many of the world’s greatest orchestras and captivating audiences worldwide. Trpcheski is praised not only for his impeccable technique and delicate expression, but also for his warm personality and commitment to strengthening Macedonia’s cultural image.
In December 2005 he appeared for the first time in the International Piano Series in London, and he has performed with English orchestras including the London Philharmonic and London Symphony Orchestras, the Hallé Orchestra, the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, and the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra. In Scandinavia, he has performed with the Stockholm, Bergen, Gothenburg, and Helsinki orchestras and the Swedish Chamber Orchestra.
Trpcheski’s first recital recording—an EMI Classics Debut Series compact disc including music of Tchaikovsky, Scriabin, Stravinsky and Prokofiev—received both the Editor’s Choice and Debut Album awards from Gramophone magazine. Trpcheski shifted to EMI’s main label with his second disc; it and its two successors comprise single-composer recitals of Rachmaninoff, Chopin, and Debussy respectively. His March 2012 recital at the Wigmore Hall was released on the “Wigmore Hall Live” label, and was immediately hailed by The Telegraph as “Classical CD of the Week”.  His July 2014 recital at the Wigmore Hall will also be released on the “Wigmore Hall Live” label. 2010 saw Trpcheski’s concerto recording debut on the Avie label, showcasing Rachmaninov’s notoriously challenging Piano Concertos Nos. 2 and 3 with Vasily Petrenko and the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra.  The album was awarded the Diapason d’Or de l’année and Classic FM’s “Editor’s Choice”, followed by a second disc in 2011 from Trpcheski, Petrenko and the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra; Rachmaninov’s Piano Concerti, Nos. 1 and 4 alongside Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, recognized with Classic FM, Gramophone “Editor’s Choice” and Diapason d’Or distinctions.

Since 2005 Trpcheski has made a rapid series of debuts with orchestras worldwide—including the New York Philharmonic, the San Francisco Symphony, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the Singapore Symphony Orchestra, the Hong Kong Philharmonic, and the Toronto Symphony—and has made recital tours in the United States, Europe, and Asia. Trpcheski has worked with a prominent list of conductors including Vladimir Ashkenazy, Lionel Bringuier, Andrew Davis, Gustavo Dudamel, Charles Dutoit, Vladimir Jurowski, Lorin Maazel, Antonio Pappano, Vasily Petrenko, Robin Ticciati, Yan Pascal Tortelier, David Zinman, Marin Alsop and Gianandrea Noseda. Simon also performs chamber music as often as he can, having performed at such festivals as Aspen, Verbier, Risor, Bergen and the Baltic Sea Festival in Stockholm.
With the special support of KulturOp — Macedonia’s leading cultural and arts organization — and the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Macedonia, Simon Trpcheski works regularly with young musicians in Macedonia in order to cultivate the talent of the country’s next generation of artists. In the 2014/15 season, Trpcheski continues performing at the highest level around the world.